Monthly Archives: March 2013

Psalms 125-127, Luke 5

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“Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever… the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.” In contrast to the uncertainty of life in the world, our lives built on the rock that is Jesus Christ are immovable.  We have absolute certainty that God will keep His promises, and that Jesus is coming back to the earth.

Just as Jesus said to Levi, “Follow me”, we’ve been called to leave behind the cares and troubles of this world, and put our trust in God. It’s an incredible blessing we have, to be so sure of the future, the meaning of life, and the friendships we have with others who similarly place their trust in God.

Psalms 120-124, Luke 4

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Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8, “man does not live by bread alone”, but strangely leaves off the rest of the verse, “but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” God’s word is as vital to life as the food we eat daily. It gives instruction, encouragement, and hope. Our lives would be so empty without it.

The Psalmist wrote “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”  Thanks to God’s word, we too have that same help. We’ve come to know God, who “will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.”

It’s easy to take God’s word for granted, but it’s an incredible gift of hope and purpose, without which we wouldn’t even know each other. “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

Psalm 119 part 4

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The Psalm continues with more concepts which can be helpful in our lives as followers of Christ. Contrasts between mankind and God’s ways. The Psalmist is trying to adhere to God’s commandments, “Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them” but is not always successful, “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.”

Our lives are much the same. Like the Psalmist, we too “rejoice at [God’s] word like one who finds great spoil.”  We find hope and comfort in what God has done for us and what we have been offered, just as the Psalmist did when he wrote “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words.”

This is what I find most helpful about the Psalms, the heartfelt outpourings of people who have struggled to live a Godly life, yet find hope and comfort in God.

Psalm 119 part 3

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The Psalmist writes of God “Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.” In other words, the continued existence of the earth is a demonstration of the veracity of God’s promises.

Through God’s word, the Psalmist has been offered the chance of life. It makes the Psalmist wiser than his enemies, because he meditates continually about God’s word. It lights his pathway, it offers a place to keep safe and defend oneself.

We can also receive the same benefits from God’s word.  Let us love God’s word, meditate on it, and keep it, so that we too can say “give me life, O Lord, according to your word!”

Psalm 119 continued

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The Psalmist writes “This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life”, which I find to be a useful concept.  We all go through affliction in our lives, but fortunately there is more to life than just sorrow and crying. The affliction is helping us develop characters that are more like God’s character, as the writer acknowledges – “it is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes”, and again “in faithfulness you have afflicted me.”

More than that, God has given us a promise of a better future, of eternal life.  Focusing on that promise can help us endure the affliction of daily life, just as it provided comfort to the Psalmist.  “Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. Let your mercy come to me, that I may live.”

 

Psalm 119

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The Psalmist writes “Blessed are those who keep [God’s] testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart.”  This is our goal in life, to seek God with our whole heart. It’s a goal that comes with an incredible reward.  “My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!”  Through God’s word, we can exceed the dust-clinging limitations of our nature, and find life that doesn’t fade away.

The Psalmist is seeking for God’s help and guidance in life, so that he might better serve God. “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”  We are encouraged to do the same, to seek to “understand the way of [God’s] precepts.”  So let us choose the way of faithfulness, strengthened by God’s word.

 

2 Corinthians 10-11, Psalms 117-118

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Paul writes “though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” This is a powerful reminder that we’re not alone in our battle against the flesh. The weapons we use are powerful and divine. God is on our side in this battle, and He wants us to win.

Similar thoughts in Psalms. “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”; and   “The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” God is on our side. We are never alone in our battle and struggle with daily life. “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”

Leviticus 14

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Leviticus 14 describes the elaborate rituals under the Law of Moses for ritually cleansing lepers and houses. Complicated procedures involving various sacrifices. Massive contrast to the freedom and grace we have through Christ. “By works of the law no one shall be justified” says Paul.

We are justified through our faith, demonstrated in our lives. We live that way because of “the Son of God, who loved [us] and gave himself for [us].” We have been set free from the slavery of rituals that offer nothing but condemnation, so that we can live a life of “faith working through love.” So lets stand fast, and “not grow weary of doing good”, knowing that in due season we can reap the reward of eternal life.

2 Corinthians 5-7

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Paul writes “the love of Christ controls us…that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” This is a powerful concept, and one that can really change the way we see our lives. It’s easy to say we love Christ, but does that love control our every action, to the extent that we’re no longer living our lives for ourselves, but for Christ?

Paul encourages us to be “ambassadors for Christ”, to be “the temple of the living God”, just as he was. God has said “I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me.” Let’s live as children of God, comforted in the knowledge that God loves and cares for us.

2 Corinthians 3-4

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Paul writes to the Corinthians “you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”  It is our goal to be the same, to show the character of Christ in our lives to the extent that people can read us like they would a letter from Christ, to see “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.”

Paul goes on to describe how accomplishing this would be difficult and painful, but he also encourages his readers with the idea  “that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.”